Charlotte Estate Planning Attorney
It’s your opportunity to tell your story of how much you loved your family. You tell your story through your distributions, how you choose to help ease your loved ones’ pain at your passing by deciding for them “today” what to do for you “tomorrow”.
There are several documents to help you tell your story. These include a Last Will and Testament, a Revocable Living Trust, a Financial Power of Attorney, a Health Care Power of Attorney, and a Living Will. The nitty-gritty of the purpose of each document and how they each function is best left to when we meet in person. For now, what is necessary for you to be aware of is that in the absence of creating an estate plan for yourself,
North Carolina has essentially created your plan for you. Its laws will dictate who gets what and how much. North Carolina will also dictate who is allowed to make your medical decisions if at all when you cannot handle making them yourself. North Carolina does not care about spending habits, drug or alcohol addictions, the age of the beneficiary or whether your family has to go to Probate Court in order to settle your estate…but you should. This is why it is so important to address these matters personally and to address them today. You should be able to have control during a time you do not have the ability to be in control.
Having an Estate Plan will give you comfort in knowing what you would have done for yourself will be followed by family and loved ones YOU chose and trusted. Make your own decisions; don’t let North Carolina decide for you. It will hurt you and it will hurt your family if give up that decision-making. Think about it this way. Would you ever drive a car without insurance? Would you ever purchase a home without insurance? No, right? And these types of insurance only protect for the “what if” yet we all pay for the year after year. Estate Planning is similar to car and homeowners insurance, but it is complete peace of mind. It protects the “what if” AND the “when”. It is an amazing gift to your family…and that is priceless.